Child labour refers to the exploitation of children through any form of work that deprives

them of their childhood, interferes with their ability to attend regular schools, and is mentally,
physically, socially, or morally harmful. It is a pervasive issue in India, where children are
engaged in various hazardous and non-hazardous occupations. They often work for long
hours under exploitative conditions.

In this article, we will discuss the Status of Child Labour in India, its Causes, Concerns, and
various provisions. Child Labour is an important topic for the UPSC IAS Exam.

What is Child Labour?

o The Child and Adolescent Labor (Prohibition and Regulation) Act 1986 defines a
“child” as someone who has not reached the age of 14.
o Child labour is defined by the International Labour Organization (ILO) as work that
robs children of their youth, their potential, and their dignity, as well as harms their
physical and mental development.
o Child labour, on the other hand, is defined as work that does not negatively impact a
child’s or adolescent’s health or development or interferes with their education.
Helping their parents at home, assisting family, or earning money outside of school
hours and during vacations.

Child Labour in India

o According to Census 2011, there are 10.1 million child laborers recorded in India
between 5-17 years of age.
o Between 2001 and 2011, the number of children impacted by child labour decreased
by 2.6 million.

Year Working children percentage(5-14) Total working children

2001 5.0 (5.9 Rural, 2.1 Urban) 12.7 (11.4 Rural, 1.3 Urban)
2011 3.9 (4.3 Rural, 2.9 Urban) 10.1 (8.1 Rural, 2.0 Urban)

o Percentage of child labour in India:62.8% of India’s child labour aged between 14-17
are engaged in hazardous work and most of them are engaged in agricultural
activities.
o States with max child laborers: Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and
Madhya Pradesh.

States Percentage Numbers (Millions)

Uttar Pradesh 21.5 2.18
Bihar 10.7 1.09
Rajasthan 8.4 0.85
Maharashtra 7.2 0.73
Madhya Pradesh 6.9 0.70

However, while child labour has reduced in rural regions, it has increased dramatically in
urban areas.

o According to a 2016 review of census statistics by CRY (Child Rights and You), the
overall drop in child labour from 2001 to 2011 was only 2.2 percent each year
o According to a report released by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and
UNICEF, the epidemic will force 9 million more children into child labour by the end
of 2022 globally.
o According to a study performed by the Campaign Against Child Labour,
o The proportion of working children has increased significantly from 28.2 percent to
79.6 percent of the 818 children surveyed, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic and
school closures (CACL).
o According to the CACL poll, almost 94 per cent of youngsters claimed that the
economic situation at home and family pressure forced them to work. During the
pandemic, the majority of their parents lost their employment or received very low
wages.
o During the lockdown, Bachpan Bachao Andolan, a civil society organization
dedicated to children’s rights, rescued 591 children from forced labor and bondll
Your Exams
Types of Child Labour in India

o Changes in the Workplace: Children are becoming increasingly involved in home-

based labor and the informal economy. The shift in the kind of child labour is mostly
due to the enforcement of laws and increased consumer awareness of child labour.
o Work Environment in Rural-Urban Areas
o A substantial percentage of minors work in manual domestic jobs, rag picking,
restaurants, and automobile repair businesses in metropolitan areas.
o Children work in the agricultural sector, such as cotton farming, glass,
matchbox, brass, and locksmith factories, needlework, rag-picking, beedi-
rolling, the carpet-making business, mining and stone mining, brick making,
and tea gardens, among other things.
o Children working in household
o Apart from children who are working for wages (either bonded or otherwise)
as domestic assistance, there are a huge number of children (particularly girls)
who are working in their own homes, engaging in what is not typically
considered “economic activity.”
o These adolescents are responsible for younger siblings, as well as cooking,
cleaning, and other household chores.
o Furthermore, if such children are not sent to school, they will eventually enter
the labour force as one of the kinds of child labour mentioned above.
o Street Children: Shoeshine boys, ragpickers, newspaper vendors, beggars, and other
children living on and off the streets are examples of street children.
o Bonded Children: Children who have been promised by their parents some quantities
of money or who are laboring to pay off their fathers’ inherited obligations are
referred to as bonded children.
o Children used for Sexual Exploitation: Thousands of young girls and boys are used
for sexual exploitation. There are multiple direct connections between the trafficking
of children and other forms of abusive child labour.
o Children of migrants: “Distress seasonal migration” poses a significant challenge for
India. Migrant youngsters are invariably forced to labor on construction sites.
 Migrations are substantial and expanding, according to all evidence. The percentage
of children under the age of 14.

Causes of Child Labour in India

The following are some of the major causes of child labour in India:

o Increased demand for child labour, particularly in metropolitan areas, is a major

contributor to the prevalence and growth of child labour. Children are hired because
they are inexpensive and adaptable to the needs of the employer, and they are
unaware of their rights.

o The most common reason for child labour is poverty. For destitute families, a child’s
earnings are frequently important to his or her life or that of the household. Due to
family debt, children are often obligated to work.
o Children are frequently trafficked for labor as a result of rural poverty and urban
migration.

o Because of the high prevalence of adult unemployment and underemployment,

children are frequently forced to labor in order to support their families.
o Illiteracy and ignorance of the child’s parents: The problem is made worse by the
child’s parents’ illiteracy. Because of their illiteracy and lack of awareness of the
adverse repercussions of child labour, they break the law and expose their children to
inhumane exploitation.

o The assumption that children contribute to the families and communities financial
survival, as well as the presence of large families, contribute to the prevalence of child
labour.
o From an early age, children frequently take up their families’ traditional work. For
example, a goldsmith’s son or a carpenter’s child may start learning carpentry at a
young age.

o India’s varied social structure and child labour have a strong relationship. In India, the
majority of child labourers are from the so-called lower castes (SCs), as well as the
tribal and Muslim religious minorities.
 o The current educational infrastructure is unsuitable for children from low-income
families. Increasing dropout rates and forced child labour have resulted from the poor
quality of schooling.
o The 15-18 age range is not covered by compulsory schooling. These youngsters,
however, are vulnerable because they are illiterate or have dropped out of school, and
they are frequently exploited as part of the informal, unskilled, and casual workforce.

Effects of Child Labour in India

o Concern to National Economy: Child labour and exploitation continue to be a threat

to national economies, with serious immediate and long-term effects for children,
including denial of education and deterioration of physical and mental health.
o Despite the fact that child labour is illegal in India, child labourers can be found in a
number of informal professions such as brick kilns, carpet weaving, garment
manufacturing, agriculture, and fisheries.
o Child labour and exploitation are caused by a variety of circumstances, including
poverty, social norms that encourage them, a lack of adequate job possibilities for
adults and adolescents, migration, and natural disasters.
o These elements are both the cause and the result of social imbalances that are
exacerbated by prejudice.
o Connection to Child Trafficking: Child trafficking is linked to child labour and
inevitably leads to child maltreatment.

o Children who have been trafficked are forced into prostitution, marriage, or adoption;
they offer cheap or unpaid labour, are compelled to work as house servants or
beggars, and maybe recruited into armed groups.

o Despite the fact that child labour rates have been dropping in recent years, children
are still being utilised in disguised forms of child labour such as domestic help.

o Work performed may not appear to be risky right away, but it could have long-term
and disastrous effects on their education and skill development.
 o As a result, they have a better chance of breaking out of the vicious cycle of poverty,
inadequate education, and low-paying jobs in the future.

Initiatives to Eliminate Child Labour in India

Constitutional provisions

o Article 21A: The Constitution (Eighty-sixth Amendment) Act, 2002 inserted Article
21-A into the Indian Constitution, making it a Fundamental Right to offer free and
compulsory education to all children aged six to fourteen years in such a manner as
the State may specify by law.
o Article 23:Prohibition of traffic in human beings and forced labour.
o Article 24: No child below the age of fourteen years shall be employed to work in any
factory or mine or engaged in any other hazardous employment.

Child Labour Laws in India

o Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016: The Child Labour
Act in India completely prohibits the employment of children below 14 years.
o Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2000 and Amendment of the
Act in 2006: Working children are included in the category of children in need of care
and protection, regardless of their age.
o The Right to Free and Compulsory Education Act (2009): The Act required the state
to ensure that all children aged six to fourteen are enrolled in school and get a free
education.
o National Child Labour Project (NCLP) Scheme: This scheme aims to motivate and
empower the children by enrolling them in schools and abstain them from working.

Other Initiatives

o PENCIL Portal: An electronic platform launched by the Ministry of Labour and

Employment for effective enforcement of the No Child Labour policy.
o Release and recovery of children from an unorganized sector: Operation Smile,
Operation Muskaan.
o NGO and civil society organizations: Many NGOs work for children rehabilitation
like BachpanBachaoAndolan, Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation, Save the
Children etc.

o Gurupadswamy Committee, 1979: It was formed to study the issue of child labour and
recommended a multiple policy approach in dealing with the problems of working
children.

o The International Labour Organization established the World Day Against Child
Labor in 2002. Every year on June 12th, it is commemorated all around the world.